The producers of Godzilla reimagine the origins of one the most powerful monster myths of all in Kong: Skull Island. This compelling, original tells the story of a diverse team of scientists, soldiers and adventurers uniting to explore a mythical, uncharted island in the Pacific, as dangerous as it is beautiful. Cut off from everything they know, the team ventures into the domain of the mighty Kong, igniting the ultimate battle between man and nature. As their mission of discovery becomes one of survival, they must fight to escape a primal Eden in which humanity does not belong.

But as many of us know, this isn’t the first time that we have seen apes (yes I know some aren’t technically apes!) in the movies, so the 10 listed here are just the tip of the banana!

10 Ape Movies to Go Bananas Over!

Rise of the Planet of the Apes – Released in 2011, this reboot of the Planet of the Apes franchise took us back to the start of what would be the downfall of man and the rise of the apes. Oscar-winning visual effects house WETA Digital used the groundbreaking technologies developed for AVATAR and for the first time ever in the film series, photo-realistic apes rather than costumed actors were used to full effect.

Directed by Rupert Wyant and starring James Franco, the movie is set in present-day San Francisco, is a reality-based cautionary tale, a science fiction/science fact blend, where man’s own experiments with genetic engineering lead to the development of intelligence in apes and the onset of a war for supremacy.

Gorillas in the Mist – Released in 1988, the film is directed by Michael Apted and stars Sigourney Weaver as naturalist Dian Fossey. It tells the true story of her work in Rwanda with mountain gorillas and was nominated for five Academy Awards.

This is a film that is worth seeing for the brilliant performance from Weaver and the production that went into making the film.

Dunstan Check In – A movie for the kids to watch on a Sunday afternoon. A wild and crazy movie as a young boy befriends a larcenous orangutan in a luxury hotel, suffice to say there are plenty of slapstick moments and comedy to keep the kids amused!

Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes – Released in 1984 the film is directed by Hugh Hudson and is based on Edgar Rice Burroughs’ novel Tarzan of the Apes. It’s a movie worth checking out for the great cast including Christopher Lambert (Highlander) and Ian Holm (Alien).

King Kong (1933) – How could we have a list of ape movies without the original Kong movie, with some amazing special effects for the time, King Kong has been a stable diet for big monster fans for many years, the movie has spawned sequels and spin-offs over the years, which goes to show that the King is an ape not to be messed with.

Any Which Way but Loose – Who can forget that famous line from Clint Eastwood, you know the one, “Right turn Clyde”! A film about a man and his Orangutan, the film was one of those 80’s movies that pops up on TV from time to time and is still funny to watch, especially the antics that Clyde gets up to.

Monkey Shines – Not for the faint of heart, this horror film was written and directed by the godfather of horror, George A. Romero, based on a novel of the same name by Michael Stewart, the movie tells the story of a quadriplegic man has a trained monkey help him with his paralysis, until the little monkey begins to develop feelings, and rage, against its new master.

King Kong vs Godzilla – Probably the ultimate monster mash! The two giants of the cinema world going up against each other in Ishir? Honda‘s 1962 movie as they pick up almost anything to through at each other in a battle of strength on Mount Fuji!

Tarzan – Disney brought the Tarzan character to the big animated screen back in 1999, starring the voice talents of Tony Goldwyn, Minnie Driver and the amazing Brian Blessed, a lovely animated movie and some rather cute moments as the baby Tarzan is cradled by his adopted ape family

Kong: Skull Island – So we couldn’t list this 10 without the latest incarnation of Kong, the latest movie starring Tom Hiddleston, Samuel L. Jackson, Brie Larson and John Goodman brings us bang up to date with the movie set in present day, unlike the Peter Jackson remake of King Kong back in 2005, with the advances in digital imagery, Kong is well and truly bursting out of screen in RealD 3D. With news of a sequel on the way, prepare yourselves for more monkeying around and apes going, well, ape!

Karen Woodham is the founder and owner of the Blazing Minds. She is also a Cinema reviewer, based at the Scala in Prestatyn and at the many Cineworld screens, where she reviews the latest movies, she has also had several articles published in various publications. In 2015 she became an Award Winning Blogger and also has her website listed as one of the UK's Top 10 Film Blogs.